Drawing delayed to due security protocols

Powerball players will have to wait patiently after Monday night’s drawing, originally scheduled for 10:59 p.m. ET, was delayed due to security issues, lottery officials announced.

The delay was due to a participating lottery needing more time to complete the required security protocols. Once the required security protocols are complete, the drawing will be performed under the supervision of lottery security officials and independent auditors, according to the California Lottery.

“Powerball has strict security requirements that must be met by all 48 lotteries before a drawing can occur,” the California Lottery announced on Twitter.

Monday’s jackpot had climbed to $1.9 billion – the largest lottery prize ever – with a cash option of $929.1 million.

The previous Powerball prize record was set in 2016 when the jackpot was won at $1.586 billion by three ticket holders.

The odds of winning the jackpot were 1 in 292.2 million.

POWERBALL JACKPOT:Here’s what to do if you win.

Tickets are sold in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Winners can receive their prize through an annual payment plan over 29 years, but most people opt for the grand jackpot prize in cash.

How to play Powerball

Each Powerball ticket is $2. You select five numbers from 1-69 for the white balls and one red “Powerball” number from 1-26, according to Powerball. You can also choose to do “quick pick” which will let the lottery terminal randomly select your numbers.

For an extra $1, you can opt into “Powerplay,” which multiplies non-jackpot winning prizes by a factor of 2, 3, 4, 5 or 10.

To win the jackpot, you have to match all six numbers, which includes five white ball numbers and one red ‘Powerball’ number. But you only need one matching number to win a prize.

Here is a guide to winnings:

1 matching number that is the Powerball number: $4
1 matching number + the Powerball number: $4
2 matching numbers + the Powerball number: $7
3 matching numbers: $7
3 matching numbers + the Powerball number: $100
4 matching numbers: $100
4 matching numbers + the Powerball numbers: $50,000
5 matching numbers: $1 million
5 matching numbers + the Powerball number: Grand prize

USA TODAY

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